Notes / Commercial Description:
Labyrinth Black Ale, from Uinta's new Crooked Line, was triumphant in its first competition since it was conceived earning a Gold medal in the Imperial Stout category of the competition at the 2010 North American Brewers Association Awards. Aged in rye barrels.

Very Dark, no light shines through. Nice, creamy head. I dont think this beer is meant to be a Quad ( as in the Belgian style), i think it's meant as quadruple black...as in black x4. The barrel age comes through, but no whiskey or bourbon, so it's more of just a wood flavor. This is a fantastic beer. Should be thought of a an American Imperial Stout.

A: The beer is jet black in color. It poured with a short tan head that quickly died down, leaving delicate bits of lacing on the surface and a thin collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Light aromas of licorice are present in the nose. Hints of bittersweet chocolate and roasted malts become noticeable as the beer warms up.
T: The taste has some flavors of licorice, but has some notes of underlying sweetness, dark malts and hints of chocolate. As the beer warms, hints of rye whiskey become evident.
M: It feels medium-bodied on the palate and has a low to moderate amount of carbonation. Slight bits of warming from the rye whiskey are also perceptible.
O: For such a strong beer, this stout is very drinkable and nearly masks all of its alcohol from the taste.

L - Oily black
S - Tobacco, coffee, licorice, oak
T - The coffee and tobacco are both very apparent
F - A real sipper at around 13% ABV, feels like something I would pair with a good cigar. Creamy and the head dissipates fairly quickly.

Overall:

I didn't chill it before I poured my first glass but even then it was creamy and very mature. A good late night drink I would share with friends but not something I would drink all the time.

Bottled September 2014. A gorgeous pour, with a finger of super-creamy, light foam that sticks around for ages and looks like a nice canvas for latte art. The nose is less elegant, very anise-forward with a touch of oakiness and vanilla from the barrel. Very smooth on the tongue, a brilliant consistency and thickness that just glides around the mouth, delivering coffee, whiskey, and bitter cocoa atop background notes of toast and vegemite. Hides the 13.2% abv exceptionally. Really well crafted.

Had this last night after work and felt it with a dull headache this morning.Poured into an imperial nonic jet black with nicely formed deep tannish colored head atop that never completely settled.Dark roast,char,vanilla/oak,and sweet alcohol in the nose,it's got alot going on and is pretty complex.Sweet chocolatey notes at the onset flavor wise with vanilla and dark fruit soaked in sweet alcohol,the saving grace of the beer is at midway a nice earthy woodsy drying effect comes in.Wow there is alot going on in this beer it's big and brash,a real sipper with alot of components to it.Very good.

O --- This is an excellent beer. I divided up a 750 ml bottle with two other guys and had the right amount. I might grab another bottle and sit on it for a while. It would be an excellent beverage to end the day on Christmas.

Im not an experienced beer connoisseur, but i have had enough experience to know a good beer when i see it. And this is one of the best in its category which can be found in Utah in my opinion. Id doesnt have that hard water taste of international dark beer, which im happy to do without. This beer is great for anyone who wants a high ABV and full flavor with thicker viscosity. I pretty biased for the malt type beers so i score this one higher.

Personally i love everything about the beer. IF i had more experience with beer and a better spectrum to judge, i would give it 5.0.

If your looking for something different in the RIS category you owe it to yourself to try this beer!